A new power is rising in Turkish football, the power of organization, strategy and tactics. The long reign of the big guns like Galatasaray, Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe based on individual talent accumulation has come to an end.
The slow but steady progress of the Anatolian teams, which developed their collective, organizational sides have started to yield results. The new leader of the Süper Lig, Alanyaspor is the epitome of this progress so far.
The team under coach Çağdaş Atan’s guidance has shown everyone the potential of collective action against individual stardom. Getting 27 points in 14 games and beating Galatasaray and Beşiktaş along the way, Alanyaspor had a great start to the Süper Lig. If they can hold onto their form until the end of the season, it may change the dynamics of Turkish football forever.
The reason why I find Alanyaspor’s game so exciting is that Atan implements a collective plan in all areas of the game. For the first time in a long time in Turkish football, I am watching a team that has a plan on how to bring the ball from its side to the opponent’s goal without relying on chaos or luck.
As I have preached for years in this column, finally a Turkish team uses clear, precise set pieces to bring the ball from point A to B, without improvising every time or kicking the ball directly into the opponent’s penalty box.
Starting from the talented goalkeeper Jose Marafona, the defensive buildup flows into a very orderly triangle with Georgios Tzavellas and Steven Caulker. Here especially Tzavellas leads the buildup with its daring, precise balls deep into midfield. His opening passes have become more crucial every day as opponents try to press Alanyaspor’s defense more fiercely. This orderly triangle under Tzavellas’ leadership allows the team to bring the ball to their opponent’s half consistently.
The second part usually involves Emmanouil Siopis and Salih Uçan, who build the bridge between the defensive triangle and attackers. With the help of defensive wing-backs Juanfran and Francois Moubandje, another triangle is created either on the left side or the right side. It is also of utmost importance that either Caulker or Tzavellas becomes a part of this second stage as well. Their involvement creates more time and space for the wing-backs to move forward.
Then, if successful, this second triangle ends up in a through ball in the running line of wing-backs, mostly Juanfran. The Spanish right-back usually dribbles the ball until the end of the pitch and tries to find Babacar inside the penalty box. If this plan does not work due to the opponent’s settled defense, then plan B is to find Davidson Pereira in the left-wing, whose dribbling skills against solid defenses are crucial. Efecan Karaca and Anastasios Bakasetas function as hidden playmakers with their good passing technique around the penalty box.
Added to this detailed, repeatable offensive plan, Alanyaspor also utilizes a solid counter-pressing strategy like many other teams in the Süper Lig. Nevertheless, the difference they create comes from their attacking game, which is way beyond the standards of the Süper Lig already.
However, as its opponents understand the capabilities of Alanyaspor’s attacking strategy, they play more defensively every day. This caused Alanyaspor to play a too dominant game against Gençlerbirliği, Denizlispor and Yeni Malatyaspor, in which they performed considerably worse.
Even though Alanyaspor is very talented in creating opportunities when the opponent is aggressive on the press, the same does not hold true for purely defensive teams. There, even more sophistication in the final third is required.
Juanfran’s crosses or Davidson’s dribbling skills work consistently only when opponents give enough time and space, but in narrow spaces, more cooperation from Karaca and Bakasetas is a must. These two players should come closer to the wings and form triangles to create time and space. Otherwise, Babacar’s efficiency is also nullified due to playing against crowded defenses.
Nonetheless, kudos to Atan and his crew to create such a solid attacking strategy, which will definitely push the other teams in the same direction. If this strategy prevails at the end of the season, combined with the financial downfall of Turkish football, a new, collective vision for football can arise.